________________________ Spreading the Love of Reading One Book at a Time _______________________
This blog is for anyone whoever picked up a book and couldn't put it down. It's for anyone who loves to read and reads often. It's for anyone like me who's been seduced by a book and can't wait to discuss it.

"Unless you care to be shot this evening, I wouldn't move from where you're standing." The deep voice was quiet but firm and it came from the shadows of the big bed..."...tell me what you found so irresistible in my bedroom in the middle of the night.""Let me assure you that it was the Stewart Pearl I found irresistible," she retorted, "and nothing else."... "You're a Woman," Mr. Sharp exclaimed in shock... "I'll give you the pearl, my dear."..."For one night in my bed. Tonight."

Julianna's heart was in the right place, but the rest of her? Well, not so much. Let's just say she's a little misguided. Determined to keep the foundling home she'd established for children running, she desperately sought out a way to pay the rent and had concocted a plan to steal the Stewart Pearl so she could hock it for the proceeds. In Julianne's case, the apple truly didn't fall far from the tree. Her father was a reformed thief and newly married. That is when all the problems had begun. Her stepmother hadn't approved of her foundling home and so her father had cut off his funding of it. Now here she was with a choice to make--was the home worth the price Mr. Alasdair Sharp was asking?

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Have you ever read a book where the heroine keeps doing things that make you want to shout out, "No, don't do it."? lol This is such a book. Julianna is a fun character who doesn't think things through, or perhaps doesn't comprehend the consequences before she acts. I was constantly shifting between giggling and shaking my head at her. Perhaps that is partly what makes Mr. Sharp fall in love with her. She needed someone to keep her out of trouble. At one point he actually says, "If you ever do something so bloody stupid again, I will turn you over my knee and spank the living daylights out of you.'

Truth be told, I didn't really care for Alasdair at the beginning. He was basically a jerk after their initial one night stand. He got upset and embarrassed because he'd been bested by Julianne and probably because of his own stupidity, for he never truly intended to give her his pearl, he'd decided instead to make her his mistress. I guess his mama didn't teach him to mean what you say and say what you mean.

When he wakes up the following morning to find both her and his pearl missing, well, to put it mildly, he goes a little crazy and asks his friend to help find her. Once found, he takes his anger and frustration out on her and Julianna doesn't seem to even notice just how awful he's being. He basically demands she either give him back the pearl or grant him sexual favors whenever he wishes as comeuppance. While she reminds him that was not their official deal, Alasdair is simply not satisfied and starts to stalk her in an attempt to get the pearl back. The thing that redeemed this hero in my eyes is that at some point he takes a good look at himself, realizes he doesn't like what he sees or how he's been acting towards Julianna and does an about face. Some however, I fear, are not going to get past his initial bad behavior.

Why is the book called The Devil's Thief and the series called The Saint's Devils? Well, it "was a silly nickname their (Alasdair and Hil's) group of friends had earned years ago in school, based on Hil's surname." Hil being Sir Hilary St. John, one of the friends Alasdair recruits to help him find Julianne. Hil is a very well connected person who is very good at finding things out. Since Alasdair was considered one of the Saint's Devils it goes without saying that Julianna would be The Devil's (Alasdair's) Thief.

Overall, I gave this one 3 out of 5 roses. I liked the camaraderie of Alasdair's friends and found each of them intriguing. My favorite secondary character, however, was Wiley, a street wise 17 year old who already has 4 children by 3 different woman and takes his family responsibilities very seriously. Hil takes him under his wing, and I hope we see more of the delightful character as the series progresses. Likewise, I'd love to see more of Hil. He seemed the most level headed and interesting of the friends.

Besides the characters, I loved the writing and look forward to reading the sequels. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating-- too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. A couple of scenes, however, where Alasdair treated Julianna poorly do not fall into the STEAM category.